Reduce Youth Dissociative Disorders with Mindfulness By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “It sounds elementary, I know. But that’s the beauty of it. Rather than wasting energy fighting dissociation, we can decrease its severity simply by increasing awareness.” – Holly Gray Sometime during the lives of about 2% of the population, a Dissociative […]
Improve Depression and Cognitive Decline with Yoga By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “For years, we’ve been told to keep our minds sharp by doing crosswords and playing Sudoku. But yoga and meditation are more effective than memory exercises for combating the mental decline that often precedes Alzheimer’s. People who practised yoga regularly […]
Improve Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms with Mindfulness By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “mindfulness can be conceptualized as a facilitator of transition, enabling people to adapt to living with a long-term condition, and that this transition is associated with improved, self-directed management, important to both people with long-term conditions and healthcare providers.” – Daniela Semedo […]
Change the Genes and the Brain for the Better with Mindfulness By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Scientists looked at how mindfulness practice affected genetic differences between one group of expert meditators compared with a control group of untrained meditators. “most interestingly, the changes were observed in genes that are the current targets of […]
Feel Depressed About a Disease, Try Mindfulness By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Depression can be the dead hand of the past. Our longing for what we’re missing has a hold on us. If we feel helpless about our situation and don’t feel we can change it, we are likely to remain depressed. […]
Control Your Emotions with Mindfulness By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Feelings are often labelled as positive (happy, confident, joyful, brave, etc) or negative (sad, scared, hurt, angry etc). In mindfulness practice, feelings are not good or bad; they just are what they are – emotions that might be comfortable or uncomfortable, easy […]
Help Reduce Psychopathology with Severe Skin Conditions with Spirituality By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Spiritual practices tend to improve coping skills and social support, foster feelings of optimism and hope, promote healthy behavior, reduce feelings of depression and anxiety, and encourage a sense of relaxation. By alleviating stressful feelings and promoting healing […]
Improve the Physical and Psychological State of Breast Cancer Survivors with Mindfulness By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “A brief mindfulness-based intervention has a positive short-term effect on psychological and behavioral measures as well as proinflammatory signal markers in younger breast cancer survivors,” – Joyce O’Shaughnessy About 12.5% of women in the U.S. develop invasive […]
Reduce the Psychological Distress Produced by Chronic Pain with Mindfulness By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “When it comes to chronic pain, the key is learning to live with it rather than vainly trying to avoid or eradicate it; a regular meditation practice is the best ongoing foundation for working with pain.” – Christiane Wolf […]
Reduce Amygdala Mediated Stress responses with Mindfulness By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “It is vital to practice mindfulness to ensure you help the mind to relieve stress. Notably, constant fear and anxiety are likely to sabotage and hinder achievements. Mindfulness can be effective in dealing with both stress and anxiety.“ – Pick the […]